Saturday, October 27, 2012

THE MATRIX is a series of comics from cult writers and artists, such as Bill Sienkiwicz (Elektra: Assasin, 1986-87), Neil Gaiman (The Sandman, 1989-96), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen, 1986-87), Paul Chadwick (Concrete, 1987-98), Peter Bagge (Hate, 1990-92). THE MATRIX is also two game - ENTER THE MATRIX produced by David Perry's Shiny Entertainment, and a massively multiplayer gamer set in the world of THE MATRIX, scripted in part by Paul Chadwick.

The Wachowskis wanted to wind the story of THE MATRIX across all of these media and have it all add up to one compelling whole.

One Example: In the Matrix Reloaded, Niobe appears unexpectedly in the freeway chase just in time to rescue Morpheus and Trinity, but for people who play the game, getting Niobe to the rendezvous point is the key mission. We reencounter Niobe at the start of THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS where she was left off at the climax of the game ENTER THE MATRIX.

By the standards of classical Hollywood storytelling, these gaps (such as the failure to explain where Niobe came from) or excesses in the film confuse the spectator. The old Hollywood system depended on redundancy to ensure that viewers could follow the plot all all times, even if they were distracted or went out to the lobby for a popcorn refill during a crucial scene. The new Hollywood demands that we keep our eyes on the road all times, and that we do research before we arrive at the theater.

A little too much asked from a film goer who is not so handy with other media's. Targeting thus only to a niche audiences, this is where the filmmakers did a little wrong as the excitement that THE MATRIX created didn't get reflected that much with the sequels, but it can still a glorified failure. Why? Read on...